Does anyone else look quite young

[EgyptAdvice]

but really hate it? I'm not here to brag and I'm sure that I'll be accused of just that, but this is genuinely something which bothers me quite a lot. I'm in my mid 30s, but don't feel I get taken seriously because I look young. I was recently asked if I was my partner's daughter (we are no longer together, he's only 8 years older than me, but he still brings this up lightheartedly) and feel I don't get taken seriously at work when in male dominated meetings. I'm constantly being told I look young and one of the men at work called me 'babyface' which felt quite demeaning. It no longer feels like a compliment (such as if you get asked for ID when buying alcohol) but more like a running joke. I'm constantly googling 'ways to make yourself look older'. Am I being unreasonable that commenting on someone's appearance like this isn't ok? Or should I just take it as a compliment?

These threads are getting fucking ridiculous now.

Always the case, @Neededanewuserhandle it seems to range from people misunderstanding a generous compliment as the objective truth, to being delusional.

My favourite of these kind of tales is actually from Lionel Shriver, who 100% looks her age but once wrote a piece in Vogue claiming to have been mistaken for the 13-year-old schoolgirl child of a friend in need of a uniform. Chinny reckon.

I wouldn't worry I looked very young until about last year. Used to be asked if I was my dc nanny as too young to be. Another etc.
Now I look haggard and done for. Give it time and I'm quite sure you'll have your desired aged look before you can say Botox.

@bussteward and @Kanaloa 😂😂.
I teach in a secondary school and know what 12 and 13 year olds look like. It ain't 39 😊

You probably have. You just most likely assumed they were younger than they were as you didn't know their age.

I've been in regular company with people for ages over the years from toddler groups/work/courses/gym classes and it's only when for whatever reason they learn my age they look genuinely shocked and say "oh I thought you were x age..." Meaning they genuinely thought I was years younger. It's taken most of my 30s to actually "look" 30, and I now joke that at least I've finally entered the decade! 😀

It used to bother me when younger, but now I have more confidence as I've gotten older. I can shrug it off easily. I'm rarely asked ID now, so I must look over 25 at least!

It's not unreasonable for posters to not want to post a picture of themselves on here either!

The celebs I can think of are people like Tina O'brian from coronation Street, Melissa Joan Hart, Reese Witherspoon, who look older now but looked really young when in their 20s and 30s. I think Melissa was well in her 20s when she played sabrina, the teen witch, and she genuinely looked teen!

Some people look a bit younger than they are.
That's not the same as a thread a week about how awful and life-destroying it is. That's just silly.

Donna D'Errico looks in her mid 30s and she's 54, but she's had every procedure going and admits it

I'm rarely asked ID now, so I must look over 25 at least!

I do not look unusually young for my age, but I was regularly ID'd until I was in my early 40s. I think you misunderstand why and how often people are asked for ID.

I've also heard all of the things people have posted on here - apparent amazement and shock that I'm the age I am, or that my children are the ages they are.

However, I don't take any of this to mean that I look young for my age. I take it for what it is - social norms, politeness, flattery. It is what you are meant to say. It's embarrassing to take this seriously.

Literally everyone says that though. I had my kids at 30 and 33 and I still hear that often.

It's the normal, expected thing to say. Plus you had your children much younger than the average, so of course you look younger than most mums of 16 yr olds - you ARE much younger than most.

I’ve been mistaken for my eldest’s sister a few times. However that was before the 6 year old was born 😂

I'm 42 and was still getting regularly ID'd until around my 40th birthday. I don't think it means what you think it does.

You need to post a picture so that everyone can tell you that you look 68 even though you're only 26

Op said she is mid thirties but doesn't get taken seriously because she looks young.

Mid thirties IS young!

Mid thirties is so young

LOL. I was thinking of posting a photo with close up of my eyes to prove that there are 50 year olds out there without a single line on their face. Then I realised I'd be accused of using a filter or photoshopping (neither I know how to do), so why bother?

Once my 12 year old was holding my 1 year old in a store. She got plenty of side eye as people assumed she was the baby's mother. People just love to jump to conclusions.

Fair point from the previous poster you quoted too. Many women my age would have a 15-18 year old as the eldest so yes, I do look 'too young' to have a 30 year old.

I once posted a few full length (face hidden) pics of myself in a thread about height, weight and size. A poster accused me of photoshopping them based on the fact that there were wavy lines on the floor of the changing room!

This despite the fact that 1) I would have no idea how to do it 2) it is impossible to see how that would have made me look any different/better/thinner and 3) I posted at least 4 or 5 different snaps, all full length and all, apart from that changing room one, taken by other people, outdoors.

It made me realise that some people will see/say whatever they want to. There i no point trying to prove anything.

Hmm, but do you? Half those 13 year olds in your class are probably 47 year olds who have been humiliatingly mistaken for little kids and signed up for Year 8 English.

How could I have mistaken them for another age? I’d have heard the hordes of people exclaiming ‘you only look 5 weeks old! How can you possibly be 37! We don’t serve babies here, get out!’

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Sorry but it's not scientifically possible to reach 50 and have the skin of a 20 year old. You may not have many lines but you'll have sagging at least, unless you've had work done. Even Jennifer Lopez doesn't look in her 20s, even though she looks good. A lot of these posters are talking BS.

MNHQ can we a separate board for the many people who suffer from this awful condition please? It's not really AIBU is it?

Just because you can't relate to it doesn't mean there aren't 50 year olds who don't have lines and sagging.

Sorry, but there aren't. It's not possible to have a 50 year old with the skin of a 20 year old, without even the smallest hint of a line or sagging. What a load of tripe.
Even people like Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Aniston etc. Have clearly aged.

And I'm not 50 myself and just 'bitter' or anything, I'm just laughing at this.